How is your Gut?

16 January 2019

Over the festive season many people “over-indulge”, typically, eating too much and eating more of the “wrong” foods, as well as drinking too much as well. January comes and with it people have resolutions, goals or intentions to lose weight, get fit and go to the gym. But have you considered this question when thinking about your wellbeing: “how is your gut?” This may seem like a strange question, but having a balanced gut can avoid certain issues and even address current problems you may be experiencing.

Our gut is a long hollow tube running through our body, from mouth to anus. It has many names including gastrointestinal tract and digestive tract. The gut may sound like a simple part of the body, simply needed to eat and pass waste, but it is a lot more complicated and significant than this. “Our digestive system is the body equivalent of an oil refinery. It processes raw material to produce fuel that powers every cell in our body and keeps oil of other system running”

Here’s how it works in a nutshell:

The gut receives the food and other substances and its job is to digest this into small molecules that then are absorbed and transported into the blood stream to nourish the body.

It disposes of waste such as indigestible parts of food, toxins and waste products of normal bodily processes and excreting them in stool

Digestion uses up lots of energy in the process of breaking down food. Our digestive system is also supported by 3 other organs, liver, pancreas and gallbladder.

In 400bc Hippocrates wrote that a bad digestion the root of all evils. He was on to something… 80% of our immune system resides in the gut; so you can see that the gut is not insignificant.

Unfortunately, not everyone takes care of their gut in the way it deserves and illness related to digestive system are rising fast, such as; constipation, diarrhoea, heartburn and bloating. Other type of problems varies from eczema, psoriasis, depression, lack of energy and the list goes on. Food intolerances are also commonplace and on the rise too! All of these health issues are affected and sometimes even caused by imbalance in the gut.

It is true that common sense steps are probably needed; do not eat in excess, eat the recommended intake of fibres, drink alcohol in moderation; avoid processed food high in sugar; exercise regularly and minimise stress. Due to our biochemistry and uniqueness, not necessarily the so labelled “good food” has a beneficial effect on everyone. Through kinesiology, I can test whether particular “innocent” foods are detrimental to your well-being.

Additionally, evidence shows that gut functioning can affect our emotional health and vice versa too. The emotional nature of our digestive system is noted by expressions such as “gut feelings”, “butterflies in the stomach” or simply feeling “gutted”. You can read what I’ve written about the gut and mental health here.

So whatever the time of year, I would encourage you to consider: “how is my gut?”

As a Diplomate Kinesiologist, I have trained in nutritional therapy as well as going to the root of the problem. So if you are experiencing health issues be it gut based or emotional or otherwise, or you simply feel energetically out of balance, do get in touch to find out how kinesiology can help.